Oezti the Iceman may have been buried

The 5,000 year old Iceman found in the Italian Alps may have ceremonially buried months after he was originally murdered.

The autopsy of the Iceman showed that Oetzi had been murdered while this is not disputed a new study suggests that months after his death he was carried to the mountain pass where he was found. The discovery site may therefore be a burial site rather than a murder scene.

The corpse of the Iceman was discovered in 1991 in the alpine border between Italy and Austria and was at first thought to be a modern day climber, scientists though later provided that he has a mummified corpse over 5,000 years old.

In the new study a detailed map was produced of where the corpse and artifacts were found and based on how the artifacts had dispersed down a slope the conclusion was made that the body was originally on a stone platform nearby to the discovery site. This was argued as the burial site and not the murder scene by the scientist.

Theories both supporting this claim and disillusioning it have been put forward with scientists supporting the claim saying that is may explain some facts about the Iceman for example analysis suggests he died in the spring because the pollen of plants that bloom at that time of year is found in his gut. However, pollen within the ice suggests that the corpse was deposited in the late summer.

But the doctor who performed the original autopsy is not convinced stating that, the arm was in a weird position and this must have happened when the murder was committed. If Oetzi was a chieftain why was the arm not moved back to a more natural position before the burial occurred.